November 17, 2020

Trump’s just-announced troop drawdown from Afghanistan and Iraq, explained

Source: Vox

Journalist: Alex Ward

President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw more US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, bringing a few thousand more service members home but still falling short of his promise to end America’s “forever wars.”

With just two months left in office, the Trump administration is rushing to wind down the decades-long fights he’s continually derided. Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on Tuesday confirmed in a briefing multiple reports that the US will drop to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, down from about 4,500 currently, and dwindle to 2,500 in Iraq from the current level of over 3,000. The administration also aims to pull out all 700 service members currently fighting in Somalia.

Read the full story and more from Vox.

Author

  • Dr. Jason Dempsey

    Adjunct Senior Fellow, Military, Veterans, and Society Program

    Jason Dempsey is an Adjunct Senior Fellow of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Dr. Dempsey has written extensively ...